AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: Love So Hot (The Lawson Brothers #1)

Love So Hot (The Lawson Brothers #1), by Marquita Valentine
Publish Date: January 12, 2015
Publisher: Createspace
Format: audiobook, provided by Wordsmith Publicity
Genre: adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Rating: 4 STARS

(Synopsis) Bank Teller and all around good girl, Sydney McKnight, is tired of being the girl all the guys want to have as a friend. Who better to help unleash her inner vixen than her best friend and secret crush, Brody Lawson? Only, Sydney has no idea how to ask him, without their friendship going up in flames, until that is, the town of Jessamine's annual Firemen's Auction gives her the perfect excuse to set her plan into motion.

Fire Captain Brody Lawson has been in love with his best friend, Sydney, for years, but he would never risk their friendship by confessing his feelings to her. So, when Sydney beats out the competition to buy his time at the annual Firemen's Auction, Brody can hardly believe his luck until she asks him to teach her how to seduce a fellow fireman.

Now, it’s up to Brody to show Sydney how perfect she already is and convince her that the only man for her is him, because if Sydney is going to seduce any man, it’s going to be him. And once he has her in his bed, he’s not letting her go.

The one thing you can always count on in the friends to lovers trope is a lot of frustrating stupidity. Don't get me wrong - it's part of the charm and a reason why I love it. And, despite knowing it's coming, when these two besties, who are obviously in love with one another, keep denying their feelings so that they can continue being friends, it makes me want to scream. Because the best lovers are ALSO friends. DUH. But, I digress. 

That's all true here in Love So Hot. Sydney and Brody have been best friends for so many years, they don't remember a time when they weren't. They've also been in love with each other for a long time, but neither is going to admit that to the other for all the normal reasons - fear of rejection, fear of humiliation, and worst of all, fear of losing their friendship forever. So, they go on dating people they really don't like that way, all the while wishing they were with their best friend. 

At least Sydney finally decides to do something about it. I liked her, and I felt her frustration, but I was happy when she finally sought out help to get her man from an unlikely person. So, she and Brody embark on a relationship... sort of. When she asks him to teach her about seducing a man, he thinks she is talking about someone else. So, they have all these hot times with each other under false pretenses. They're together, but they're not together, and it made me want to scream. 

I liked a lot about Love So Hot. The pacing was perfect, and I loved the back and forth between Brody and Sydney. It was a great introduction to the Lawson brothers and their vastly different personalities. It is told in dual POV, which is my favorite. And, the sexy times were plentiful and really hot. Which is ALSO my favorite. 

The audio version was really well done. This is my first experience with narrator Piper Goodeve, and I would definitely check her out again. She did a really good job voicing both Sydney and Brody. And it was a really quick listen for me. At less than 5 hours long, it only took me three days to listen to it from beginning to end. 

I'll definitely be adding more Lawson Brothers books to my Audible library in the future.